The God of Finding The One Lost Sheep

God of finding the one lost sheep

God of hearing the near death request of a thief on the cross

God of paying a full day’s wage to a last minute hire

God who always calls, “Come”.

God wants everyone to come unto Him

God wants all to enjoy the blessings

He bestows upon His children.

But each one must come of their own free will.

God is not a Pharaoh who entraps and enslaves. 

God is not a Pharisee who dictates and demands. 

God does not coerce or conquer, He welcomes and waits.

God is a Presence who initiates and invites.

God’s Law is not a burden to bear

It is an enjoyment to be embraced

Direction to be devoted to

It is substance for the soul 

Beneath The Mess Something Beautiful Lives

Beneath the mess something beautiful lived

Others could see it, but not me.

I only knew what I knew, to be somehow broken

But beneath the mess something beautiful lived.

Caught in the wake of the wrongs of others

I got washed away, far at sea

I got battered and bruised, not worth much

But beneath the mess something beautiful lived.

Somehow I was found by the One who made me

He could see as the others could see

The broken, the battered, the bruised was slowly healed

And what was beautiful beneath the mess slowly emerged.

Beneath the mess something beautiful lives

Now I can see when others can’t see

I only know what I know, that broken is not forever

And beneath the mess something beautiful lives.

You Were There From The Beginning

You were, there from the beginning

Watching over the orphan with no home

No mother or father emotionally available;

Loving, but not available

Caring, but not available

They could do no better

They were damaged as well.

You were there from the beginning.

Their religion spoke words about You, revealed You

One can know who you are, but not yet You

Looking back You were there from the beginning

Always in the heart even if absent from the head

The wrong way never made sense

Even in the midst of the journey

Even in the midst of the transgression

That was You working in secret

Then one day You came face to face

Not a new birth, but a reconnection

To the Source that has been there

From the beginning.

Just Passing Thru

I am never more free than when I am confined.

When I know the boundaries and the dos and don’ts

I feel safe and secure and cared for.

When life is lived according to design

All will be whole, worthy, and wonderful.

I will live in integrity

God guarantees it with an oath, a promise, a covenant.

When I know whose I am and how much I am loved

I am freed from the entanglements of this earthly life

This world is not my home

I am just passing thru. 

DON'T MAKE ME STOP MY SONG

I remember going to visit a friend of mine at Franklin Marshall College back in the 1970s.  They were having their annual Spring Festival with lots of activities and a keg on every corner.  Janis Ian was their star performer and she was to give an outside concert on the lawn in the early evening.  A loud crowd gathered with eats and drinks in hand and waiting to be entertained.  She began playing and singing which added great background music to a lot of chatter and noise of the crowd.  After she had sung a song or two she stopped and spoke clearly into the mike at full volume, “If you don’t shut the

F….up, I’m going to pack up and leave.”  Suddenly there was a hush over the crowd; you could have heard a pin drop.  She said, “Thank you.  I have some pretty good stuff here and I want you to listen.”  She proceeded and put on an awesome concert.  Needless to say, I was impressed enough to remember it over forty years later.

These days the crowds of God’s people are loud and noisy.  Discussions revolve around what is happening to religion, where did it go wrong, and what should we do about it.  It seems like God is in the background trying to have His say but we’re just going on and on trying to do what we feel we should be doing. I wonder if God, at some point in time, will stop His song and say the same thing that Janis said; only without the F word.

He did it once, with a smaller crowd; three guys on the top of a mountain.  They saw a miraculous transfiguration and Peter started running around talking, even though he didn’t know what he was saying, making plans for setting up tents and chairs.  God stopped him and clearly said, “This is my Son, listen to him.”  And they did.  But now days there is a lot more people making plans and a lot more chatter; He may have to stop His Song and yell into the mike to get our attention; “I have some pretty good stuff here and I want you to listen.”   

There Was Always Something About You That I Liked

There was always something about you that I liked

I didn’t follow you or get to know you

But I was aware of you

And there was always something about you that I liked

Maybe it was because I liked the things you helped make

I felt at home while playing on the rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean

I felt at home while diving in and out of the waves, and digging in the sand

I felt at home while walking in the woods and climbing trees

I’ve always felt like someone on the outside looking in

I don’t do well with the proud, or those who apparently have it all together

I’d rather sit on the curb with the kid no one at school likes

I’d rather be in the company of those who are misfits in this world

There was always something about you that I liked

Now that I follow you and have gotten to know and love you

I am more aware of your Presence in the places I feel at home

I am more aware of your Presence with the people I enjoy being with

I guess that is why there was always something about you that I liked

SIMPLE FAITH

God will come to those who simply and faithfully wait for Him; a young virgin, a carpenter, a priest and his barren wife, shepherds, kings from the East, and old, and a widow; they were waiting and watching for the Promise of God given so long ago.  Their eyes, ears, minds, and hearts were clear and focused.  To them God came and they simply knew it was Him.

It amazes me how simple and how faithful these people were.  They didn’t have the benefit of having the whole story, beginning to end, written out so they knew how it all ended.  They only had the promises of their traditions and the words of the prophets to hold onto.  Those who were responsible for passing down and overseeing that tradition would later be found faulty and eventually dismissed by Jesus, but even in lieu of that the Promises of God were transmitted and faithfully accepted by these simple people.  If that wasn’t true would Mary and Joseph have been so quick to submit to the angel’s words?  There were no questions to the authority of what was spoken; no process of days of discernment. There was only simple obedience and sincere faith and trust that nothing is impossible with God.

Simple faith that makes no demands

But simply obeys what God commands

Pure faith that simply obeys

Because heart and mind upon God stays

I long for that peace of soul and mind

That puts all doubts and concerns behind

To simply say yes to whatever God wills

And rest in a life that only God fills.

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND WAIT

It seems to me that God’s original plan for instructing human beings in the matters of life was to have us know all things through knowledge of Him, by living in His Presence.  He laid out the lay of the land, said what was to be done and not done, and then simply enjoyed cohabitating with His creation.  It seems clear to me that God’s original plan for instructing human beings in the matters of life will be restored and lived out in eternity.  In the meantime I have to wade through the clutter of artificial intelligence, to remain faithful to the Truth my faith is built on, and wait till that time of restoration comes.

Down through the ages people, mostly men, have been preoccupied trying to figure the matters of life out.  Philosophies and theologies come and go.  Some become doctrine; some become heresy; all become clutter in the minds of people; people who were created to live by their hearts, souls, and not just their heads; people who were created simple, not complicated; people who were content with God’s good and perfect world until tempted to believe there was something more, something better, something they could do for themselves.

Simply speaking, I like God’s original plan and rather than wade through the clutter I am going to stop, look, listen, and wait for the return to the original plan.

I AM WHAT I AM BECOMING

I enjoy being a child of God’s

I enjoy being a follower of Jesus

I enjoy being a student of the Scriptures

It’s what makes me who and what I am

It’s what makes me who and what I am becoming.

Like a tree I am always growing

Bearing fruit in season

Shedding leaves in season

Lying dormant in season

In full bloom in season.

I am fed by the Spring that flows from the Source

I experience the winds of adversity

I experience the storms of sorrow,

But still I stand for I am firmly rooted

In God, in Jesus, and in the Scriptures.

THE FLESH & LEAVES DIE...THE SPIRIT LIVES

It saddens me to see the condition of many churches today.  It wearies me to hear all of the would of, could of, and should ofs, and the ‘we’ve got a new and better way’ chatter.  It’s not that the people are insincere in their concern; it’s just that they are only producing more of the same ideas that past church reformers have said and done, since the church came into existence.  As Einstein said, “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.” 

As I am watching the final stages of life being demonstrated by my mother, it is changing my thoughts about dying.  Her flesh is decaying and will eventually turn to dust.  But her spirit is growing more and more brilliant and strong.  It is preparing itself for what ever journey it is about to embark on, that still remains a mystery to me.  But I can see it in her eyes that the transformation is happening, just as when I look at the Autumn leaves and know their journey and transformation is about to begin, when they reach their full beauty.  My ‘mother’ isn’t dying, just as the tree isn’t dying.  It makes me think that the ‘church’ isn’t dying; just its flesh and leaves.

The ‘church’ is all who receive and believe in the Ultimate Word of God, His Son, Jesus Christ.  This ‘church’ is nourished and protected by God forever; nothing and no one can destroy it.  Buildings will go; denominations will go; methods and doctrines will go.  But God’s Church will stand eternal because, He said, “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  

It is not my job to try and figure out how to build…it’s my job to listen to God and do what He says.  It’s not our job to try and figure out how to build…it’s our job to listen to God and do what He says.  He will say what needs to be planted; He will say what needs to be pruned; He will show where the brinks are to be laid.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”  Unless the proper seed, the Word of God, is planted those who plant will labor in vain.

Whatever God builds; whatever God plants; that, and that alone will last throughout eternity.

BE and DO What You Were Meant to BE and DO

Get caught up in The Christ, not the cause

Get caught up in The Vision, not the victory

Focus on Jesus as Prophet and Priest, not the problems

Focus on God’s righteousness, not your rights

Abide in God and Jesus, not in your self

Abide in the Kingdom of God, not in this world

Then you will BE you who truly ARE

Then you will DO what you’re truly meant to DO

God Gives...We Make

God gives us golden things;

We make golden calves out of them.

God gives us trees;

We make lumber out of them.

God gives us the sky;

We make a space for waste out of it.

God gives us land;

We make a garbage can out of it.

God gives us oceans;

We make sewers out of it.

God gives us beauty;

We make ashes out of it.

God gives us love;

We make pornography out of it.

God gives us life;

We make a mess of it.

What in the world was God thinking?

RADICAL HOSPITALITY

Sometimes events happen that trigger my past, and the memories come pouring out from nowhere into my conscious mind.  Yesterday one of those events occurred and took me back in time, to probably the worst season of my life.  It was a time when I lost control, flung every good thing in my life to the wind, and lived without boundaries or reason.  I was hurting, disillusioned, and in despair so I looked to anything that would stop the pain; alcohol, sex, drugs, and pure rebellion.  I was miserable and did some really stupid and eventually regretful things.  Fortunately it was during the 60’s so I could fit in with the rest of the cultural happenings and hide for a while.  But that didn’t last long.  At some point I came to my senses.  I was deeply repentant and was very much aware that for the rest of my life I would never ever be the one to throw the first stone of judgment at anyone.

Through the years I was able to find people who had gotten caught in my wake of dysfunction, acknowledge my wrong doing, and fortunately receive their sincere forgiveness.  They were people I loved and who loved me and they knew as I did that there was never any malice or intentional harm meant in my actions; just one messed up soul trying to find something in my life to salvage.

God forgives, others forgive, but while I walk in their forgiveness it’s difficult at times to not forget and feel the regrets of my past.  Maybe there is some benefit to that I my present dealings with other people.  It keeps my self righteousness in check; keeps me humble; causes me to drop all stones of judgment and offer an empty hand of understanding and welcome to all I come into contact with that need that kind of radical hospitality.

God calls those who believe and receive Him to that kind of radical hospitality.  This world can be a harsh and mean spirited place to live; God hears the groans of His creation.  He invites and welcomes all who will turn to Him; and so should I because I have been on the receiving end of that hospitality for a long time.

Radical hospitality is not so much in what I do as it is in who I am.  When people come into my presence I want them to feel welcomed, attended to, and loved by God.  It doesn’t need to be in the grandeur of a Downton Abby.  It can be in my simple little home, a restaurant, or in the aisle of a grocery store; being radically hospitable means serving others in love; putting others first; being kind, and present to the moment and to the person in front of me.

I believe that is how Jesus was.  He somehow made every person he communicated with feel special, feel loved, and feel attended to, no matter what their past was.  He knew their past and looked beyond it to their present need.  The fact that I know my past makes me more than ever want to be like Jesus; looking beyond the faults, the past, and simply be radically hospitable in the present, offering the healing salve being welcomed, being attended to, and being loved.

TRUST THE PROMISE

As I read through Exodus and Leviticus I observe that God is very simple and clear about how the holy things the represent His Presence are to be treated.  They are holy, to be honored and respected, not for what they are but for whom they represent.  While I enjoy a very personal and intimate relationship with God, I must always keep in mind that He is the Creator of all things and that makes my soul always in a place to honor, respect, and worship Him and pay homage to that Holiness.  How can I not?

The God that I stand in awe of loves me so much, provides for me so much, and cares about me so much; how can I do anything but bow in His Presence, honor Him in His Holiness, and obey what He tells me to do.  He is for me, not against me; He had only my good at heart. How can I do anything else except love Him just as much as He loves me in return?

Sacred is an extinct concept in the world today.  If we don’t hold God sacred we will not hold His creation sacred; if we don’t hold His creation sacred we will not hold life sacred; if we don’t hold life sacred we will continue to destroy one another and the created world we live in.

God has promised a new heaven and a new earth; a new Jerusalem for His people.  The promise is the same as the Covenant He made with Abraham; it is the hope of the fulfillment of that promise that the children of God have continually waited for and hoped for.  Some see it and live for it, just as Joshua, Caleb, Mary, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna did.  Some see it and live for it still.  It is the Promise that I remember in my soul and I believe will come about in God’s way and His timing.  I trust the Promise!

FOOL'S WISDOM, SIMPLE TRUTH, HUMBLE OBEDIENCE

There seems to be a repetitive pattern in human beings.  Since the beginning of time we have taken something that was a gift from God, broken it because we didn’t follow the instructions, and then try and fix it by building it again, with new labels, new forms, new structures, and new ways of doing things; our ways.  We drink from the incredibly beautiful fountain and then build our own cisterns; cisterns that always break and never hold water.  We take the simple gift and complicate it until it is no longer usable; and then blame it on God, deeming Him unworthy of our time and attention and certainly not relevant in our sophisticated world.

I enjoy studying all these new thoughts and ideas, but soon find that they aren’t new at all; just recycled from the waste of old thoughts and ideas.  “There is nothing new under the sun.”  I appreciate all the people who devote their time and energy to coming up with new ideas, new ways of doing things, and new paradigms.  But I don’t entrust my spiritual life to them.  “The best of men are merely men at best.”  It is the Holy Spirit that has the responsibility of teaching the Truth.  The Spirit within and the Spirit without must be in agreement; then there can be an absolute Truth that can be trusted and believed in and that can be seen and heard by those who call themselves the children of God.

Every human being is created in God’s image and likeness but not every human being has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within.  We, as children, must receive the One that God sent and believe in his name; we must be born again, not of blood or of the will of the flesh, but of God.  THEN we will have the eyes to see the kingdom of God that Jesus reveals and THEN we will have the ears to hear the kingdom of God that Jesus teaches.  It is not finding the proper Practice or formula, or designing the right form or structure.  It is receiving His life that is the True light, which enlightens every human being; an enlightenment that doesn’t take us to a higher consciousness but makes us conscious of our nakedness and our absolute need for God.

I get intimidated very quickly and easily by scholarly, theological, and philosophical theories that develop new ways of seeing God and new things the church needs to do.  But then I realize once again that I’ve seen and heard these theories before; time and time again through out the ages; the repetitive pattern of humans trying to improve God and His ways to make them relevant and more like their ways. God didn’t use the worldly wise, great thinkers or philosophers in any age.  He sees no need to change His pattern.  He chose the foolish, the lowly, those not full of themselves and their great ideas; he chose the empty, needy, and humble to reveal Himself to and through.

“For consider your calling: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world,  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (I Corinthians 1:26-29).

I think we need to stop our planning, our finding something new and improved, our way of twisting and turning God so He is relevant to our ways.

We need to stop, look, and listen to the heroes of old who simply heard God, listened to God, and obeyed God.  Fool’s wisdom, simple Truth, and humble obedience…there is a pattern I would, and do, build my life on.

THE OVERWHELMING FEELING OF GOD'S GRACE

I remember as a kid looking forward to weekends.  Looking back now it seems almost ridiculous but back then weekends were special to my family.

Saturday night we always had hamburgers for dinner; and with that dinner we were allowed to have potato chips and soda.  That was the only time we could have them and it made Saturday night dinners a true treat and something we looked forward to throughout the week.  On Sunday mornings we had donuts and sticky buns for breakfast.  As with the chips and soda, this was the only time we could enjoy these alternatives to cereal and other healthy breakfast food.  We loved weekends. As my siblings and I grew older and became adults we could have these treats anytime we wanted to buy them.  But something was lost; the specialness, the delight, and the pure enjoyment of the moment of eating those things.

In our worldview today everything is seen as special; everything is seen as sacred.  There is no ordinary; there is no sin.  Everything is the same in our inclusive worldview and everything is accepted.  I don’t see things that way.

If everything is special, nothing is special; if everything is sacred, nothing is sacred.  If everything is good, there is no bad, no evil; I don’t believe that.

Because we want everyone to feel good we have taken away sin and evil and we have done away with guilt.  Rather than see guilt as a sign that something is off center and needs to be corrected, we have made the things that caused guilt acceptable and done away with guilt, rather than the other way around.  Not only do I think that is wrong, I think it is sad; it deprives people of the most wonderful thing one can experience; the mercy and grace of God available in forgiveness.

David talks about his life when he is not living as he knows he should.

“Be gracious Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.  For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity” (Psalm 9,10).

Paul talks about his life when he is not living as he knows he should.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (I Timothy 1:15).

Knowing their condition and confessing their condition brought them before a loving and merciful God who pours out grace upon grace upon a broken and contrite heart.  There is nothing sweeter than a soul that knows the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God; nothing.  But many will never know that special feeling of love, true acceptance, and true inclusion, because the world, and unfortunately many in the church, have blurred the distinction between righteousness and wickedness, allowing evildoers to not only prosper but actually put God to the test by denying His righteousness and authority.

I like David and Paul, know the absolute wonder of the mercy and grace of God.  I have sinned big time in my many years and I know what it is like to live in that sin, that place of being off center, and  it eventually wears on one, even when all around are saying, “don’t worry, be happy.”  I know what it is like to have a broken and contrite heart because I have done what I know is wrong.  Thankfully I also know how truly great it feels to be shown mercy, grace, and forgiveness by God.  I know what it is like to:

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.  For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning…You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever” (Psalm 30: 4, 5,11,12)!

There is truly nothing better, more fulfilling, and soul satisfying in life.

PRESENCE VS PREACHING

God’s Law is freeing; man’s rules are restrictive.

God’s Presence is transformative; man’s teaching is informative.

God’s ways are simple; man’s ideas are complicated.

It’s perplexing to me when I listen to a debate by very learned teachers and pastors that I respect on how often their churches offer Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the “Do this in memory of Me meal”.   The responses centered around time, or lack of time for its observance.  The issue is how to squeeze it in and still have an hour for the preacher’s sermon.  What I derive from this is, what the preacher has to say about God is more important than remembering and celebrating God’s Presence with His people.  Somehow in my soul that feels wrong.

I absolutely think that teaching, especially expository teaching from the Word of God is crucial in the life of the believer and in the invitation of a relationship with God in the life of an unbeliever.  But there are seven days in a week for that to happen.

This is why I question the whole concept of church.  Everybody has an opinion; everybody has their way of doing things; everybody follows rules set down by human beings and human doctrines.  And then we wonder why the concept of church is failing in the world today.  Does anyone remember the statement that, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain”? 

There are many external problems in the churches today; there are many internal problems in the churches today.  But I believe the number one problem in the churches today is that the people who make up these churches still refuse to listen to the words God spoke to and through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 2:13

“For my people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me, the fountain

of living waters,

And hewn themselves cisterns-

broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

TEACH AS A SERVANT

Knowledge is a good thing that can lead to bad things.  I appreciate the work and study that some people put into religion.  But it can lead to pride, power, and control.  There are teachers who I respect and there are teachers who I fear.  The teachers I respect have let the knowledge work humility in them and have an attitude of servant hood in sharing what they know.  It is reflective of Jesus as he taught, always acknowledging his Father as his true authority.  Jesus taught his disciples, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers…Neither be called instructors for you have one instructor, the Christ.  The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:8-11).  This teaching is shared in the midst of the seven woes to the scribes and Pharisees, those responsible for the attending of God’s people.

God does give us teachers and preachers but they must remain true to the teaching of Jesus and keep God as the only authority.  Teach as a servant, not as a lord and leader over people.

WHO'S TO SAY?

I get uncomfortable in groups when issues of control overstep Biblical principles.  I want Truth and I believe there is absolute Truth in the Scriptures that needs to be taught.  But when issues like how one worships, what one wears, what kind of music is acceptable, and these issues that are truly personal preferences become doctrine, I stop and think.

Boundaries are necessary but tight control over things that are not found in the Scriptures is sketchy to me.  I think there is a danger in getting too picky, which was a trait Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees for.

I have personal preferences but I don’t turn them into principles and doctrines for everyone else to follow.  I visited a church and had some major difficulties with the service and found some it offensive to me.  Rather than complain and condemn them, I just choose not to go there again.  I know there were many sincere people there; it just wasn’t suited to my style, my

understanding of what a worship service should be.

Those who teach and preach the Sovereignty of God need to let God be Sovereign in the lives of His individual children.

BEYOND WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD

Jesus talks about a life that is to be lived inside out.  The motivation for what I think, say, and do comes from an inward desire to please God in all that I do.  That motivation comes from my heart that has been regenerated and filled with the ways of God.

Jesus talks about a life that is not looking for external validation, not bent on pleasing itself or merely going through the motions of obeying what is said or written.  The rich young man seeking eternal life had obeyed all the commandments and was asking Jesus what to do.  He left empty and unfulfilled because he failed to obey Jesus and he could not give up his external wealth and security.  He was not motivated from a heart filled with the ways of God.

Jesus talks about a life of the Spirit that is obedient to God, serving Him alone with joy and abandonment of Self, living in the desires and needs of the flesh.  The Self wants and needs; the Spirit is fulfilled and gives.

Jesus talks about life in the Kingdom of God.  That life is different than      life  that is lived in this world; different in that it is lived inside out, motivated by the ways of God that transcend ‘what you have heard”.

YOU'RE GONNA SERVE SOMEBODY

The ways of the world and in our society are clearly not interested in producing the righteousness of God.  They are interested in producing human individual rights that are built on self expression and self exaltation.  Under the guise of freedom we are held in bondage to the enemy of God and eventually the enemy to self.  As Bob Dylan once wrote, “You’re gonna serve somebody” and this world chooses not to serve God.

The ways of the world and now the ways of much religion have eliminated the distinction between righteousness and wickedness.  What God declared evil is now humanly declared good, acceptable, and to be tolerated.  The world’s ways encourage us to ignore God’s ways of righteousness and legitimizes wickedness so that the Self can supposedly find wholeness, expression, and satisfaction; live your life the way you want; be angry and let it all out; sow discord and disrespect among each other; be all you can be no matter what it cost of no matter who you hurt.  But in the end wickedness brings destruction.  It is a faulty foundation and a rotting root.  Not connected to the Source it becomes self generated; anger produces anger; violence produces violence; lust produces lust; wickedness produces wickedness.  No good thing can come from the ways of the evil one.

God creates only good.  When His ways are followed only good can be produced.  We are told to remember the law of Moses, the statutes and rules that God commanded for our good.  We are told that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased, and we should listen to him.  We are called to produce God’s righteousness in our selves and in the world.

The time is coming, the appointed time, when all the arrogant and evil doers will stumble because they are unconnected and unrooted in God’s righteousness.

          “Then once more you shall see the distinctions between the righteous

            and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not

            serve Him” (Malachi 3:18)

That Is Where We'll Meet

The thin place between here and gone

That is where I meet with those

Who have crossed over before me.

It is a place of silence,

There are no words, just Presence.

It is a place far from the maddening crowd,

There are no forms, just Presence.

It is a place of communion,

There are no conversations, just Presence.

The thin place between here and gone

That is where we’ll meet.

BEYOND THE HERE AND NOW

It is in these times of loss and death that I know more than ever that there is a spiritual plane far beyond what my mind can comprehend.  That place is far above the earthly plane I live in now, and yet it is at the same time very near, just on the other side.  The division between the two is a thin place that every so often I can get a glimpse of and at some point, like those who have gone before me, I will cross over for good.  This plane is not my home; it is temporary; only a small space of time in eternity.

Knowing that helps me put things in perspective.  It helps me get and keep what is important in life fixed in my mind and in my heart.  It helps me say no to things that may be affected in that place and time; those things I think I want because others have them; those things that offer only illusions and shadows but are not the real deal.  Right now that might feel like a big sacrifice; then they will hardly be a bleep on the radar screen.

At some point in time and for some reason beyond my comprehension, I found the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price that are worth giving up everything for.  I don’t know why, when, or how and feel no need to explain why, when, or how; I simply know and that is enough for me.

In my brokenness God put eternity in my heart and like a seed it continues to grow deeper and wider.  It’s nourished by silence and solitude; it’s nourished by being surrounded by God’s creation, especially mountains and oceans; it’s nourished by communion with others who have found that treasure.  These all help create a new heart daily within me that looks only to Him as my life line to that other plane beyond the here and now.

Changes Always Happen

Changes happen over time; changes happen on a dime.

Sometimes smooth; sometimes rough

But changes always happen.

One day one who’s dear is near

One moment one who’s dear is gone

In a heartbeat; on a dime; POOF…

We never know which way will be

We always know that change we’ll see

Changes come.

Changes happen over time; changes happen on a dime.

Sometimes rough, sometimes smooth

But changes always happen.

WHERE ARE TOTO AND THE BRAVE BOY?

I remember back in my college days going to a lecture given by B.F. Skinner on conditioning.  I remember walking out of that lecture sobered and a bit scared at how easily it is to manipulate people and how easily people allow themselves to be manipulated without even knowing it.  Then I took a class in Advertising that sobered me even more.  Being a behavioral science major the two major money draws for careers after graduation were advertising and criminal investigation, both dealing with what makes people do what they do.  I observed that there was a fine line between these choices.  The conclusion of my studies made me very aware of how easily people can be deceived and how easy it is to control other people.

As a believer in Jesus I am aware that since the beginning there has been a force that is in the world that is anti God, and the main tool used by that force is deception, and the place that tool is used is the mind of people.  Deception misleads one into error unless the mind is grounded and centered in the Truth.  Deception uses doubt, distortion, denial, and deformation.  Satan used this tool on Adam and Eve in the garden; he uses it today with all human beings in the world.  He attempted to use it with Jesus in the wilderness but failed.  Jesus withstood Satan’s tool of deception and left for me a lesson and an example.

Jesus stood grounded and centered in God’s Truth, in the Word of God, and Satan had no other option except to, “BE GONE.”  The lesson I have learned is to go to the Source; always look behind the curtain where the controls are and find out whose hands are on the levers.

It is difficult these days because it takes time and energy to investigate and so the temptation is to bow to the ways of ease and convenience.  It is inconvenient to look for Truth so the mind set becomes, there is no absolute Truth so just do what’s there, do what feels right, and be satisfied.  With that mindset comes a disdain for those who disrupt the peace by trying to expose what is going on behind the curtain, what is not absolute Truth but only convenient and subjective; this people are labeled negative, naysayers, and dismissed or destroyed. Prophets of prosperity are easier on the ears than prophets of doom.  This world is being branded by the enemy of God and is being sold a boatload of goods that are in Truth, very bad.  They are cheap, artificial, without substance and are not sustainable.

I look for the Totos who fearlessly and simply pull back the curtain to the one controlling the levers, the one who yells loudly, “Pay no attention to the one behind the curtain.”  I listen for the voice of the little boy in the crowd who fearlessly and simply says, “The Emperor is wearing no clothes.” 

I choose to stand grounded and centered with my mind daily renewed in the Source, in God’s Word that reveals the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

MOVEMENTS OF GOD

Movements of God are driven by an invisible force of His eternal power and divine nature.  They are in a historical context.  They are creative and life giving.  They are redemptive and lead to reconciliation.  They are personal and not just programs. They have eternal purpose and they will not fail. 

How much of the concern about the lack of people going to church is about the lost souls of the people, rather than the loss of financial means to keep the church building functional?  The shepherd who left his 99 sheep to find the 1 lost one was concerned about the sheep itself, not his reputation or his shepherding program.

Worship is not entertainment; worship is not a social event; worship is not a program with everyone well rehearsed and ready to do their part.  Worship is about coming and being in God’s Presence, individually and corporately.  God is the CEO; God is the program; God is the One speaking or is silent.

Movements of God are in the souls of people; movements of God are wherever two or three are gathered in His name; movements of God are breaking bread and sharing a meal with one another; movements of God are loving and being kind to one another.  These movements don’t require any revenue or have any overhead.  These movements will never fail.

Come To Me

We’ve dissected and divided our world

Into categories, labels, cultures, subcultures

Different religions, different nations, different classes

We’ve erected walls and boundaries

Around what is mine, what is yours, what is ours

And we give ourselves the right to defend them at any cost

All making the claim that these are God given rights

And God is on our side.

We are splintered and spoiled, cynical and sarcastic

Separated from our Source and keep wondering why

We keep trying to fix it but it just keeps making it worse

We keep building our cisterns that can’t hold water

All the while forsaking and ignoring the freely flowing fountain

The fountain that gives living water that never dries up

The foundation of the one, the only, and ultimately the

Final solution that gives the living water freely.

Eventually we will wear ourselves down

We will succumb to our weariness

We will run out of ideas, thoughts, and words

And in that formless and dark void

In that place of complete and true silence

We will hear the Word…Come.

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

And I will give you rest.   Take My yoke upon you,

And learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

And you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

I Do Not Take It Lightly

I do not take it lightly

That the One I love most in life

And who knows me more than I know myself

Is the Lord God Almighty

Creator of heaven and earth.

I do not take it lightly

That He loved me enough

To send His Son to give me life

And give me ears to hear

And eyes to see.

I do not take it lightly

That I have open and free communion

With the God who created the world

And everything in it

And that He loves being one with me.

I do not take it lightly

That I once was blind but now I see

That I once was dead but now I am alive

That someday He will come again

And I will dwell with Him, in His kingdom

Forever and ever.

I do not take it lightly.

DISMANTLE THE SYSTEM & RETURN TO THE SOURCE

I feel at times like I live in a time and place spoken of by Amos, a time when there is a famine on the land, not a famine of bread or thirst for water but of hearing the words of God.  The Christian’s Story has been deemed by some as a meta narrative and been reduced to a relative and pluralistic attitude that if it works for you fine, but keep it to yourself; there are a lot of stories so pick one that works for you, where you live.

God, Jesus, and the Bible have been lumped together and categorized under the label Christianity.  Christianity has been often an abusive and destructive force in the world throughout history.  It has intruded upon cultures, been the instigator of wars, and is consumed with power and control over the minds and lives of people.  Therefore, like any other evil force or evil empire in the world today it must be stopped and destroyed; ‘Shock & Awe’ style.  As one who has suffered harm by that system, I have no problem or objection to eliminating the system.

What I do have a major problem and objection to is that God, Jesus, and the Bible are identified with that system and have been disrespected and done away with as well; tossed out with the proverbial baby thrown out with the bath water, or an innocent man being crucified and killed by the very system itself.

Anything that replaces God in the hearts and minds of people is an idol.  When the system of Christianity, or the Church itself replaces God in the hearts and minds of people they too become an idol.  God commands that there are to be no idols, no other God before Him, no matter how good they may look or religious they may seem.  Whatever replaces Him in the minds and hearts of His people is anathema to God.

As people consider and envision how God’s people are suppose to be in this world today; how the church is suppose to be in the world and in our neighborhoods today, we must attune our ears and eyes to God Himself and His voice, not to what a world living in famine requires and is demanding.  The church is a manifestation of God; it is not about us working for God; it is about God being the object and motivation for our work and our life in this world.

As people of God we need to know God’s eternal purpose for all things; we need to have eyes to see and ears to hear the prophetic vision laid out since the beginning that will culminate in the end of time, in God’s time.  We need to fix our eyes on Him, tune our ears to His Word and walk with eternity in our hearts.  Anything else is idolatry and will not do.  We must return to God, the fountain of living waters and stop building our own cisterns, broken cisterns that hold not water.

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

There is much thought going into what the church was, is, and ought to be.  That is to be expected in a seminary environment where people are in training to work in the church.  I enjoy studying church history and the people throughout the years who have put all of their life energy into building a house for God to dwell in.  They are men and women of strong conviction, faith, and love of God.

The desire to build a house for God to dwell in goes back to David.  In 2 Samuel 7 David realizes that while he is living in a fine cedar house, God is dwelling in a tent.  So he decides to build a house for God for God to live in.  God stops him.  “Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I command to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built ma a house of cedar?”  David got the lesson and passed it down to his son Solomon who writes in Psalm 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house those who build it labor in vain.”

Church history would verify to the fact that David’s lesson was not passed down throughout the generations.  I don’t question the sincerity of the people who put their time and energy into doing something for God, that to them seems like the right thing to do.  Unfortunately it is possible to be sincerely wrong and misguided.

When God made a covenant with the Israelites in the desert after freeing them from the bondage in Egypt, He was very clear about the construction of the place where He would dwell with them and the way they were to dwell with Him. (Exodus 25-40)  That system worked for generations, through many trials, tribulations, and deportations.  But this outward form was not the finished product. It was merely the foundational principles of how humans and God are to dwell with one another.

If I skip to the end of time, to the new earth and new heaven of eternity, I can read the ultimate results of what this small beginning was foreshadowing and it is all about God dwelling together, face to face with His people, as it was created to be since the beginning in the garden. (Revelation 21, 22)  So the question is how do we get to there without making the same mistakes that our former church founders made?

God sent His son Jesus to dwell among us, to teach and to demonstrate on life in the eternal kingdom of God.  We are called to come and follow him.  It makes sense to me that all of our questions and concerns about what the church is and ought to be would be found in Jesus’ life and teachings.  He was, is, and will be the fulfillment of the foreshadowed construction in the desert that was directed by God Himself.

These are my thoughts.  The church is not a place; it is not a building; it is not a system.  The church is a Presence; it is the Lord God Almighty and Jesus the Lamb.  It is their Presence, where we are face to face, dwelling and worshipping the One who created us and had loved us since the beginning of time and will love us throughout eternity.  In the Presence we are His treasured possession and He will be with us as our God forever.

Jesus’ life on earth was a demonstration of what the church is to be.  People dwelling in his Presence, teaching others to love God and live lives according to that love; healing and feeding those who we come upon during our journey through life on earth; worshipping, praising, and thanking God for all He is and all He does whenever we get together. We are people of the Way, the Truth, and the Life; not an establishment, not an institution, not a congregation, not a system.  On our way, wherever we are, we simply live in his Presence and be present to one another and to the others we meet along the way. That to me is what the church is; simply people in the Presence, living with and loving one another.

Colossians 3:12-17; Malachi 3:16; John 4; Matthew 17

I WANT A HERO

It is interesting to watch the reaction of the world, especially America’s, to the new Pope.  What they like about him is his humility and commonness with all people; he’s one of us, equal with us, not above us.  We are a people who like equality; no one above us telling us what to do, where to go, or how to live.

I sense that was why God came to earth in the form of a human being.  He wants His children to know Him on an intimate level and love him as a friend, companion, and a brother.  I certainly feel that relationship with Jesus and I appreciate and love being in it.

But, there are time that I want someone who is much bigger than me, much wiser than me, and much more powerful that me; I want someone to run to when I am afraid, someone to defend me, protect me, and help me out of the situations I often find myself in the middle of, because of others or because of myself. 

I don’t want an equal then; I want a Lord, a King, someone above and beyond my reasoning and my ability.  I want the hero who rights all wrongs; I want the God whose thoughts and ways are much higher than mine.  I want the God I can freely bow before and submit to because I know He rules and reigns with love, care, and compassion; but also with ultimate power.

In my weakness I have God as a stronghold and that is where I feel safe, secure, and sustained.  The Lord God Almighty is my shepherd and I shall not want or lack anything.  He leadeth me and I gladly follow Him in all His ways, all the days of my life.

INTENTION & ATTENTION

When I was orienting and training the counselors who would be working at camp, I gave them my vision of camp, goals to under gird the accomplishment and maintenance of that vision, and told them to look for the overall life lessons that could be learned in all of the activities they and the campers participated in throughout the day.  Of course, the life lesson in that was to be intentional in all they did and to pay attention to all that was around them.

Foe me personally these principles also work for me as I orient and train myself in my life and how I am to be n this world.  So many beautiful and meaningful things can pass me by if I am not living with intention and attention; I don’t want to miss any of it.

As I have been studying church history and watching what is unfolding now, that will someday become history, I have come to the conclusion that I miss a lot by getting hung up in the insignificant details and miss the vision and goals of God; the misinterpretations, the man made doctrines that divide, the quarreling, the swords being drawn and wielded; I don’t believe that these were the intentions of God nor the vision of Jesus of the kingdom of God that he gave to those who would follow in his footsteps.

On the night Jesus was arrested and headed to his death, Jesus prayed; he prayed for those who were in his immediate time, he prayed for those who would follow him in the time to come, which means he prayed for me.  His prayer was, “That they may all be one, just as you Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20,21).

Jesus words are not complicated; he was a man of plain speech.  I am to be one in unity with those who follow God; not conformed to them, not conformed to the world; but transformed and conformed to Jesus and God in their Oneness.  It is that unity that makes me one with God, and makes others one with God, and therefore makes all who follow God one with one another.

That oneness is the vision Jesus has put forth from his birth, when he came, and God dwelt among us.  During His time with human beings here on earth He put forth the vision of the kingdom of God and the goals to achieve and maintain that vision of the kingdom of God; the Place where He came from, where He was returning, and where someday I am going to be with Him, where all who receive, believe, and follow Him will someday go and be with Him.  But until then I am to be a witness of that vision and teacher of those goals, along with all others who follow Him; not divided, but as one image of the One God all were created to manifest.

This means putting down my sword of self, not looking to human doctrines that divide, and fixing my intention and attention on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of my faith. Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets.  Therefore, any law or prophetic voice that comes forth now has to be in the image and character of Jesus or it is not of God.  Swords are not to be used to defend Jesus.  Swords of self defense and swords of righting all wrongs are to be beaten into plowshares and used for planting seeds and producing crops of Peace.  It’s what Jesus prayed for as he was about to die.

It’s what Jesus prayed for; it’s what God desires; it will be fulfilled.

THE FRUIT COMES FROM THE TREE FED BY THE ROOT

How can one delight in feeding from and living off the fruit of a tree and then turn and despise, deny, and reject the tree?  This form of spirituality that loves the saints and hates the Catholic Church is not centered and grounded.  And worse than hating the Catholic Church it denies Jesus and God who are the taproot of the Church.  A spirituality that denies Jesus and denies God is not the True Holy Spirit of God.  It is artificial and will not stand steadfast in the waves of a storm.  It is an illusion, an empty lifeless form that like chaff will disintegrate and fade away.

The tree is the container of all that is needed to produce the fruit, fed from the roots, contained and distributed to the growth of the fruit. Should this not be what the Church does?  Is this not what the Catholic Church has done throughout the centuries?  It has kept and passed down the history of Christianity.  The tree may not be perfect.  Trees need to be pruned from time to time.  Dead braches and excess branches that misdirect the essential nutrients to the area of growth need to be removed.  God does that in trees growing in nature by wind, lightening, and storms.  He has pruned the Church through trials, tribulations, and persecutions.

The history of Christianity involves a lot of pruning; the Catholic Church has certainly suffered through a lot of pruning as have the Protestant Churches. But it is necessary so that what remains can be a healthy container, a grower and producer of good fruit.

The Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches have produced some truly amazing people who have done much good in this world.  The fruit of their lives is to be honored and admired.  But to honor the fruit we must honor the tree where the fruit came from, and especially the taproot where the life of the tree, and the life of the Church begins and ends.

THEORY vs TRUTH

As I study the philosophers, theologians, and great thinkers of the past and present; lofty notions about life, the universe, space and beyond, the cosmos, and of course God, are certainly intriguing but can leave me feeling lost and confused.  While I appreciate the science and research, I am a very simple person and often fail to see how it all affects me and my life.  I acknowledge that I don’t have a clue about how things really work in this universe and often wonder if those who claim to understand it all really do.  Most of that knowledge is theory, assumptions, and speculation; it is not Truth, reality, correct, and genuine.  How can they be?

          “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my

           ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the

           earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than

           your thoughts.” Isaiah 55: 8, 9.

All that said and acknowledged God created human beings to be with Him and to enjoy His Presence, so He revealed his thoughts and ways to us by sending Jesus, the Word become flesh, to dwell among us.  God doesn’t just give us a theory about Himself, life, and the cosmos; He gives us Truth itself.  All that Jesus taught reveals God to us in a Way that we can see, touch, understand, and know with certainty; not theory that changes in every age, but Truth that is eternal.  Those with eyes to see and ears to hear will receive and believe this Truth and will live in that Truth forever.

This Truth is not too hard or too lofty to understand; nor is it beyond our doing.  “The word is very near to you.  It is in your mouth and in your heart, so you can do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11-14).  Mary, a young girl chosen to bring Jesus into this world understood it; shepherds watching over their flocks understood it; wise men from the east following a star understood it; a righteous and devout man, Simeon understood it; a worshipping widow understood it; fishermen understood it; those lost in the sins of the world understood it; and I understand it.

Jesus came to earth to reveal the holiness and almightiness of God, not as a theory but as the Truth.  That Truth is that God loves us and wants communion with us.  It’s that simple; it’s that profound; it’s absolute Truth.  We will come to know and understand that Truth when we come to the quiet and simply receive and believe Him.

          “O Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not raised too high;

             I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous

             for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned

             child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

Psalm 131